Supreme Court

It's no secret that we are a sports-loving family. The other day a friend remarked that we had "been to a lot of Mariner's games this season."  A few days later my mom asked, "What have you guys been up to, besides going from ball game to ball game to ball game?"

What can I say? It's our kind of fun. And when we heard about the promotion being held at last night's Mariner's game, we knew it was one of those only-happens-once kind of games and we weren't going to miss it!  As Jon said at a recent game, "This is what summer is all about."

Last week, Felix Hernandez--King Felix as we fans call him--pitched the first perfect game in Mariners history.  Any time Felix pitches, one section of the stadium is turned into "King's Court" and the ticket holders in that section are given gold Felix shirts and K cards to celebrate his strikeouts.  Well last night was Felix's first start since that historic perfect game and to honor him, the Mariners organization turned the entire stadium into "Supreme Court."  Everyone got free Felix shirts and K cards and the tickets were offered at a discount price, too.

The atmosphere was positively electric!  This morning, I heard a sports radio commentator say, "It was one of the coolest sporting moments I have been a part of."  I couldn't agree more.

When Felix came out of the bullpen at the start of the game, the crowd of 40,000 went absolutely wild!  I got chills.  It was that amazing!  And Felix tipped his hat in all directions to show his gratitude.  Then the announcer said, "Supreme court is now in session.  All rise."

After Felix finished his perfect game, he celebrated with this now-famous pose that has become known as "Felixing."  Some are saying Felixing is the new Tebowing.

Everyone's doing it.  So we all had to get in on the fun, too:

And guess who was the star of the jumbotron this time?  It wasn't Caleb.  He was off refilling his soda and Jon joked that they came looking for him but when he wasn't in the stands, they focused on me instead.  I was doing a little Felixing dance.  Caleb, who'd been watching the monitor while in the concessions line, came back to our seats and yelled, "Mom, how could you?!"

We took turns sitting in the king's throne:

Aside from all the Felix celebration, the team played some outstanding baseball.  Two homeruns, one ground rule double and several unbelievable defensive plays.  Many have been calling it a playoff-like atmosphere.  I've never been to a playoff game but if it is like that, sign me up!

Every time Felix got two strikes in the count, the crowd would wave their K cards and chant, "K,K,K,K...."

I'm probably sounding all sorts of annoying overdramatic.  You had to be there.  We all agree that it is easily the best Mariner's game we've ever attended!  Jon's right, this is what summer is all about.

Next up: BYU football game.  'Cause that's what fall is all about!

Cousins Here, Cousins There

Fun with cousins everywhere!

Cousins See Weird Al
Tickets on the fifth row with the very people who introduced him to wonderful world of Weird Al.  Caleb was in heaven.

Cousins See King Tut
The Pacific Science Center is hosting a very interesting exhibit of Egyptian artifacts that are on display for the last time in North America.

The kids may not have fully appreciated it but I learned a lot about King Tut, his tomb and pharaohs in general.

Here's the coffinette that held his stomach and a replica of the man himself in his mummified state:

Cousins Explore the Science Center

Cousins Cool Off

Some got sprinkled, some got drenched.  Can you guess which was which?

Cousins Attempt to Dry Their Denim Shorts

Cousins Pose (against their will)

Cousins Wear Matching Jerseys--and smell the garlic fries. Mmmm.

Cousins Eat an Insane Amount of Candy
We went through two bags of lollipops, two bags of Starburst, Mike and Ike and Twizzlers.

Cousins Cheer for Homeruns!

Not pictured: Cousins in Leotards, Cousins at Legendary Donuts, Cousins Playing Basketball and Cousins Being Left Home Alone So Their Parents Have Some Kid-free Time.

Is there anything better than cousins?

The Day the Seahawks Paid For Our Haircuts

Once there was a football-loving boy who really needed a haircut.

One day, his dad got a great deal on two tickets to a pre-season Seahawks game.  The boy's mom-- who also really loves football--really wanted to go to the game, but she graciously let the boy go with his dad.  She's such a nice mom.

On the first play of the game, the Seahawks defense returned a fumble for a touchdown.  The boy went wild!

The Seahawks' partnership with Great Clips states that every time the defense scores in a game, everyone in attendance gets a free haircut.

So the boy's mom took him and his game ticket to Great Clips.

The boy got a great haircut.  For free!  The cost of the ticket was just about equal to the cost of what the haircut would've been.  The boy's mom was so happy about this great deal even though she didn't get to go to the game.

Then the boy's mom took him to his new high school to have his picture taken for his ASB card.  The new haircut looked great.

The next day, the boy's dad got his hair cut for free too and everyone was happy.  

The end.

Perfection

The weather was perfect.

A co-worker outing which provided a free ticket was perfect.

And King Felix threw the 23rd perfect game in MLB history, and the first in Mariners history.

And I was there!

Perfect.

August 15, 2012: Felix Hernandez pitches perfect game.

Some Seriously Awesome News!

I just did a happy dance in the kitchen.

 "Caaaaaleeeeeb!"  I shouted, even though he was right next to me.

 He looked at me part bewildered, part frightened and part what-did-I-do-now?  He didn't know what to make of my craziness.

I'd just gotten off the phone with his neurologist's nurse.

A little over two weeks ago, Caleb did this:

He'd been seizure-free for over two and half years and his doctor thought it was time for another EEG to see if his brainwaves were free from abnormalities.

And today we found out that it came back normal!  Let me just say it again, It came back normal!  

Let the weaning off the medication begin and let's say good-bye to epilepsy forever, shall we?

I'm crying I'm so grateful.  He deserves this blessing, darn it.

London 2012

There's just something about the Olympics. I love the Olympic anthem, Bob Costas and the Olympic rings. (They looked especially great hanging from the Tower Bridge, didn't they?) I love watching the athletes achieve their life's dream and watching their parents cry. I cry with them because I'm just so proud. I love all of the inspiring stories behind the glory and most of all, I love that we're all rooting for the same team.

And oh the medals ceremonies!  From Chariots of Fire intros to the playing of the national anthem.  I can hardly stand that the games are over.

Here are some of my favorite things about the London games:

The Fab Five

Who could help but fall in love with these mousy-voiced bitty girls that do the most Ah-mazing things with their bodies?  They were awesome.  So awesome.  I think watching my two daughters work so hard to learn the most basic of their skills gives a whole new appreciation for the difficulty of what these athletes do.  It was so exciting to watch them win gold!

And McKayla's perfect, and I mean perfect, vault in the team final?  Are you kidding me?  You can look past an ugly hair do when the girl can vault like that!

Gabby Gold

We first became Gabby fans when we saw her compete live at the Pac Rim Championships which were held in Everett last March.  We were wowed by her high-flying bars back then but she hadn't yet peaked, having falls on both vault and beam and was still very much in Jordyn Wieber's shadow.  Girl pulled out all the stops at just the right time!

Most Decorated

Lochte's constant smack talk was off-putting to me so I decided early on in the Olympics that I was pulling for Phelps.  This was the Olympics where the "Best Olympian of All Time" was made.  Unbelievable.

Blade Runner

How charming is Oscar Pistorius?  To say nothing of his amazing athletic ability and can-do attitude, I was smitten by his adorable accent and overall good-guy demeanor.  What an inspiration!

Aly Raisman and her parents

Aly landed that final tumbling pass and I started jumping around the living room shouting, "She nailed it!  She nailed it!"  And she did it while wearing that modern version of the old Mary Lou Retton leotard.  I loved it!

So I've never had a daughter in the Olympics but I do have a couple of competitive gymnasts so I can, in a very small way, empathize with the Raismans.  I can only imagine their nerves!  Did you see that guy behind them tell them to sit down after they stood up to cheer their daughter's gold medal performance?  Really?

Olympic Bodies

They're works of art and wonders to behold!  Lean, mean, gold-medal-winning machines.  Those chiseled muscles are awe-inspiring to me.

Danell Leyva's Dad

Jon and I decided we're going to use his trademark forehead-kiss, ear-swipe, snap, clap for our usual greeting now.  His exuberance was delightful to watch, every bit as entertaining as Danell's amazing high bar routine.  But Danell's ugly towel? I'm not a fan.

Tom Hammond's Tracksuit

Something about Tom Hammond in an ultra bright blue tracksuit with his over exaggerated body turn and too-close lean in to his co-commentator makes me laugh.  I have to do a double take to make sure I'm not watching an SNL sketch.  Elfie doesn't commentate in a leotard and Rowdy's not in swim trunks, so why are Tom and his cohorts in tracksuits?  Just sayin'.

The Today Show

Speaking of tracksuits, I loved the Today show's segment on speed walking.  So funny.  And didn't you love NBC's addition of Ryan Seacrest to the team?

As if I wasn't watching enough TV already, I fell in love with the Today show and all of their stories of London glory.  Matt and Savannah had a way of asking the ridiculous how-does-it-feel-to-win-an-Olympic-medal question in a slightly more interesting way.

David Boudia

He barely qualified into the finals, the crowd was rooting for the hometown favorite and it was the Chinese that was supposed to win, but it was the American that walked away with the gold.  A classic Olympic story.  I'm left with just one question: do divers really need their suits to be that tiny?

I already feel the post-Olympic depression coming on.  Way to make us proud Team USA!  You've inspired my children who are now holding their own make-believe Olympics.